The present disclosure is directed to and sets forth improved features in a police surveillance system and in particular a surveillance system which incorporates a mechanism for providing both a fixed field of view and a movable field of a view cameras. In particular, this finds advantageous use in police vehicles where police personnel are alone at the time of confrontation with those who might otherwise respond to a traffic stop with unexpected violence. Even where no violence occurs, there is an advantage in the present system which enables the single police officer to obtain data in a way which more fully records the nature of the event and which also provides dynamic data input to the police officer at the time of the investigation conducted by the officer.
Consider as an example a police officer who, in daylight, goes into a neighborhood to investigate a neighborhood incident. As the officer arrives at a particular place where the police vehicle is stopped temporarily, the officer then exits the vehicle, travels on foot in the near locale, and is provided with TV, digital data and voice communication link from the officer to the vehicle and from the vehicle to another location keeping the vehicle (and hence the officer ) in ready contact with police headquarters, or some other facility (e.g., a second officer in a car). Where the officer is on foot, and where another officer is on foot, and contact is made with a person arousing suspension of either officer, data can be collected by the officer at the scene. This collected data can be transferred from the officer at the scene to the vehicle and from the vehicle to the remote facility. This is especially helpful where the officer is unsure of identity of the persons in the vicinity, ownership of the building, ownership of a parked vehicle, etc.
In another circumstance, a police officer in the vehicle may make a traffic stop in the dark. Proper operating procedures requires the police vehicle stop to the rear of the traffic offender. Typically, 10 to 20 feet is left between the two vehicles. In this particular instance, the police vehicle, equipped with ordinary headlights, provides illumination of the immediate field of view. As set forth in the earlier patens of the present inventor which are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,949,186 and 4,789,904, the police vehicle is equipped with a video camera which is mounted on the dash. The field of view of the camera is illuminated adequately to obtain proper imaging of events which may occur in that illuminated area. The police officer may be required to step out of the vehicle. In this particular instance, the police officer normally conducts all business in the camera field of view so that the officer is completely illuminated, and all actions of the traffic stop are illuminated and therefore filmed. If an arrest occurs, or if an investigation is conducted for driver sobriety is conducted, the field of view normally will catch these events. It is however helpful to incorporate a portable camera to capture any events not readily in view of the dash mounted camera. Here, the term camera also refers to a device which is carried by the police officer. The police officer is provided with some hand held device; in this instance, the present disclosure sets forth a clipboard incorporating a top writing surface.
The police officer normally needs a clipboard. The clipboard incorporates a portable camera in the clipboard. In addition, the clipboard is provided with a panic switch sometime known as a dead man switch. Furthermore, the clipboard is constructed and arranged so that it has a relatively thick backing which encloses the electronic equipment which is necessary for operation of the clipboard. In one aspect, the clipboard is constructed with a card reader. The card reader can be used to read the driver's license of the person who has been pulled over for investigation or perhaps for arrest. With interrogation prior to arrest, the driver typically is asked to produce drivers license and insurance papers. In some states, the drivers license is distributed with a magnetic strip in the drivers license which is readable by a card reader such as the type of device used to read credit cards, In this instance, the clipboard carries such a card reader. The data from the card reader is input to a CPU and then delivered to a keyboard mounted transmitter. Thus, the clipboard carries a digital data transmitter, and also carries a video data transmitter.
The two data channels are separate in the clipboard. In one instance, the data is obtained from the camera integrated with the clipboard so the officer on foot can obtain a field of view. Digital data is transmitted in data bursts during the video transmission blanking interval. While that occurs in the video channel, the digital channel is used for transferred digital data as mentioned such as the reading of a card reader to obtain the specific drivers license on reading the drivers license. Alternate the drivers license. Alternately, a keyboard or other type switches can be used to input data. In one aspect, the drivers license can be input with a simple ten key pad which provides numeric data. Optionally, additional keys can be added to provide the stop and start functions. A full keyboard can be utilized such as a keyboard providing the twenty-six letters plus ten numeric representations or a keyboard totaling thirty-six keyboard switches. Conveniently, the clipboard is likewise equipped with either an LCD output display capable of presenting M lines of data where each line is N characters in length. In another aspect, rather than use an LCD screen, a thermographic printer or impact printer can be used to provide hard copy output with 10, 26 or 36 symbols. Optionally, the clipboard can likewise incorporates a receiver with a small screen so that information can be transferred back to the police officer from some remote location. Paper technology now in use can send from a synchronous satellite a burst of digitally encoded data such as the M by N message. That data can be displayed on an LCD display or printed by a printer.
As will be understood, this enables the police officer to obtain a better appraisal of the situation and to thereby provide dynamic, field oriented data which enables the police officer to determine on the spot all steps necessary to be undertaken during field activities. The police officer is infinitely safer in this circumstance. In the event of a violent encounter, data is typically captured which makes the investigation thereafter much more easier. In the event that the police officer is tragically killed, there is sufficient data which has been captured to markedly speed up the investigation. Indeed, should the police officer encounter difficulties, a panic switch is likewise included which enables the police officer to send information, or an urgent call for other units in the nearby vicinity. The panic switch is sometimes known as a dead man switch. All of these features enhance the ability of police officers to carry out their work.
The present apparatus is summarized as a system utilizing the video surveillance system set forth in the above mentioned patents of the present inventor which are enhanced with a number of additional features. One important feature is the portable camera discussed briefly above. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the officer is provided both with audio and video two way communication. In an alternate aspect of the present disclosure, all data is recorded out of sight. The out of sight aspect involves the use of a vault hidden out of sight in the trunk of the vehicle, the vault containing a VCR system. Two types of data are input to the VCR and they are the digital data such as time of day, date of the month, and other alphanumeric data. All of this occurs in conjunction with the recording of video data from on or even two sources. Where the two video sources are input, simultaneous recording can occur either by recording a split image screen (two images on one screen) or recording the data with alternate frames. In the latter event, the two video data frames are interlaced. Ordinarily, with two video cameras, the fixed camera is preferred in operation so that its image is recorded. The portable camera is operated usually in special circumstances so that it is recorded only when used in a mobile fashion.
In one particular aspect of the present disclosure, the data stream of the present disclosure is a stream of digital data obtained in the field and transmitted from a portable location by the officer on foot, sent as an intermediate step to the vehicle, and then transmitted from the vehicle to a receiver at a remote location such as a receiver fixed in synchronous satellite orbit or on the top of a tall antenna in the vicinity to thereby enable return of data along the same route from a central data bank. In the latter event, driver records, prior convictions, vehicle ownership, and criminal records can be transmitted to the officer in the field.